Absent Smiles
by Ninjistics
Summary: She woke to find a cheerful face smiling down at her. One day that face was missing. As the days went by, she saw that face less and less frequently. A little story about the history of Matsumoto and Ichimaru
1. A Friendly Face

A Friendly Face 

"Eat up… if you can collapse due to hunger you must have spiritual powers."

"You too?..."

"Yup! Me too. Ichimaru Gin! Nice to meet you."

"Gin… that's a weird name."

She had awoken to find that friendly face hovering above her, holding out a welcoming piece of food beckoning her hungry stomach. Using the little strength she had, she accepted the offering and chewed slowly.

Her mind dizzy from lack of food, she had accepted his hand and felt herself being pulled to her feet just managing to remain upright…

The joyful smile, the cheerful demeanor, the boyish face... He still had those things now as an adult and a shinigami captain, but being around him no longer made Matsumoto feel secure and content. Instead, looking at his face trying to find what she had seen in him as a child sent shivers down her spine.

He had always disappeared never telling her where to or how long he'd be gone. She had been alone and starving until he just took her in, taking care of her. One she woke up to find his smiling face missing

"Gin… gin!"

A young Matsumoto scurried to and fro, searching under foliage and behind rocks, going as far as she could without worrying that he'd return and think she had also left.

"Rangiku?"

Matsumoto turned her head upon hearing her first name and spotted a familiar face, smiling at her from between evergreen leaves. "What's the matter?"

"Oh… nothing… I was just wondering where you went. I was worried maybe someone took you or something."

More like worried about you'd left me alone again… 

Ichimaru smiled. "I just went… off for a walk," he replied.

The days passed by… each the same as the first. Eventually, she stopped asking for every time the answer was the same. But one day, she just had to ask.

"ICHIMARU! What happened!"

"I went out for a walk," came the same reply.

"Oh? Did you trip and fall off a cliff?" Matsumoto retorted.

His smile, if anything, got bigger. "Something like that. I'm going to go wash off."

So off he went again, blood dripping behind him.

The weeks passed and Matsumoto outgrew her dependence on her mysterious companion. She wandered around, going for walks and exploring the forest as far as she could without having to worry of getting lost. Leaving at the same time as Ichimaru, she always returned much earlier than him, which allowed her to sit and wait for her companion to return from wherever he went.

But one day his arrival was much later than usual.


	2. A Little Longer

**A Little Longer**

There it was. A rustle in the leaves! Matsumoto shook her head. She needed to stop jumping at the slightest movement of leaves and doing something productive for once. But if he returned while she was gone out on a walk… and thought she had left him just because he was gone for a little longer than usual…

Even if a little longer than usual was two weeks.

Her eyes remaining transfixed upon the slight parting of leaves which lead to the trail, Rangiku lifted herself from the tree stump stretched her legs. She could just see his smiling face emerge from the trail and greet her cheerfully then proceed to drop assorted pieces of food from his hands. No matter how long he'd been gone… she'd wait for him…

Sometimes she wondered… what if he really did get injured? When he returned covered in blood and cuts, Matsumoto often wondered how he even made it back home without fainting from blood loss, but she mostly questioned where he'd have gotten wounds like that. It was possible that he'd gone and done something stupid and was laying somewhere… groaning and calling out her name… writhing in pain all alone in the dark…

Rangiku bit her lip shaking horrifying images out of her head. She picked berries from nearby bushes and chewed on them for a bit, letting the tart juice wash over her tongue as she thought about her choices. She could either leave and search for him risking the chance that he might return, or remain there… sitting on her log and jumping whenever the wind picked up in the trees.

Matsumoto returned to the clearing and slumped down on the log. She picked up a stick and poked at the blackened ashes of the previous night's fire.

Without warning, her eyes started filling up with tears. She trembled hugging her knees close. Sobs emerged from her chest shaking her shoulders. She couldn't deny it any longer. He wasn't coming back. She'd rot here and never be able to see his smiling face again… never be able to see what lay behind his blinking eyes…

"Where are you… why did you leave me… how could you just leave me… I'm going to find you Gin… I'm going to find you…"

Matsumoto glanced one last time at the spot that had been her home ever since she could remember. She smiled sadly to herself then turned on her heal pushing the bush out of her way and stepped onto the narrow dirt trail.

Her mud-covered bare feet ached badly as she trudged along the trail, rocks digging into her heals and small pine needles scraping her legs. Thin rays of sun shone through the trees lighting up small spots on the trail. But despite the limited light, Matsumoto watched carefully for any irregular shadow and kept her ears open only to hear the rustle of leaves and the wind blowing around her.

"Ouch…"

Matsumoto stopped and plopped down on a boulder lifting her foot onto her other knee rubbing it with her hands. Dirt was ground into the bottoms with small bloody spots covering her entire foot. Rangiku licked her hand and rubbed her foot hard. She looked around then remembered she had passed a stream a long time ago.

She let out a loud groan and swung her head back. After all this, she could never stop looking for the stupid Ichimaru until she found him and gave him a good yelling. Finally, Matsumoto stood up wincing and continued down the trail.

She noticed the sun peeking through the horizon as the trees parted way for her temporarily. She had already traveled farther than she had ever traveled in her life, but with the sun lowering in the sky, she decided to stop and rest. She had traveled enough for today

* * *

Ok… I realize the chapter was probably mighty boring, but it was necessary so I can get to the ICHIMARU PART! Yay! 


End file.
